October marks Domestic Violence Awareness month, a month aimed at supporting victims and educating people on the signs of domestic violence. Between April 2020 and February 2021, 13,162 people contacted the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, an increase of 5,000 from previous years. Exploring this further within their show Within These Four Walls, TV Productions present a necessary piece of theatre highlighting harmful patterns behaviour.
Society is formed from the sum of broken hopes. Recently, the Kammerspiele presented the world premiere of Frau Schmidt fährt über die Oder (Ms Schmidt crosses the Oder) by writer-director Anne Habermehl in their studiospace. The play is the first part of a trilogy that the author is writing for the Kammerspiele.
Courtesy of Julian Baumann.
Over 500 years ago now and the devastating impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade reverberates within African and Caribbean history, the first sale of African slaves having taken place in 1444 in Lagos, Portugal. A surviving voice of this brutal period in time, Mary Prince’s legacy lives on, her words documented in The History of Mary Prince, a book documenting the horrors of the slave trade. Exploring Mary’s legacy in their show Sold, Kuumba Nia Arts and Unlock the Chains Collective utilise the traditions of African storytelling to highlight this very important voice within the abolition movement.
A condition not widely discussed and little known, Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) impacts roughly 1 in 100 women under aged 40yrs and 1 in 1000 womenunder aged 30yrs, the condition also referred to as the Early Menopause – the Menopause typically experienced by women aged 50 and over, the Early Menopause by those aged under 45yrs and POI by those under 40yrs. As an ambassador of The Daisy Network, a charity run by volunteers committed to educating all on the condition, as well as creating a space for those impacted by it, Catherine Cranfield presents Flushed, a heart warming tale of sisterhood, womanhood and coming to terms with receiving a diagnosis of POI.
Courtesy of Lidia Crissfull.
Located 65KM from the Polish border, Western Ukrainian city L’viv, also known as Lwów, Lviv and Lemberg has witnessed a complex history between the Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish communities, the various names of the city an indicator of the region’s diversity. A centuries long history, the Lemberg Progrom of 1918, marked a very dark period within the region’s history. Fast forward to present day UK and we have the ancestors of Lemberg continuing on from this complex legacy, Cordelia Lynn’s Love and Other Acts of Violence exploring the ripples of war, love and loss.
Courtesy of Helen Murray.
Nne, translates as mother and Obanje as spirit child in the Igbo language native to Nigeria; Nne and the Obanje Child translating as ‘Mother and the Spirit Child’. A story dating back thousands of years, the tale tells the story of Nne Eze or Mother Leader, an integral figure within her community who laments the loss of her eight children, who now inhabit the spirit world.
A multi billion dollar industry, the production and trade of rice is a lucrative business, the cereal grain a staple food consumed all over the world, particularly within the Asian and African continents. Delving into the inner workings of a global corporation dealing with the business of rice, writer Michele Lee, the Actors Touring Company and Orange Tree Theatre present Rice, an observation of the complex ecosystem behind cultivating the grain.
Localities constantly change, the communities that inhabit them influencing how they run. A common trope throughout history, this determines local geography and the many years that follow. Exploring this in his latest show A Place for We, writer Archie Maddocks presents a tale of tradition, community and culture.
A recipient of the 2020 Komedia New Comedy Award, emerging star Michael Akadiri is on the rise, appearances on Times Radio, BBC Radio Kent and ITV2 showcasing the comedian’s talent. Performing and workshopping new material at the Clapham Fringe Festival, Akadiri presents Not Ready for This, a look at his life as a junior doctor and other topical musings.
The Kammerspiele presented the world premiere of Heart Chamber Fragments, a production by Paper Tiger Theater Studio, an independent Chinese theatre collective. Founded by Tian Gebing in Beijing in 1997, with a branch in Berlin for the past two years, Paper Tiger includes artists from different professional backgrounds in dance, theatre, and the fine arts,who get together to develop theatre projects combining theatre, performance, and dance. As stated in the program, their focus is on the reality of everyday life and its brutal absurdity.
Courtesy of Judith Buss.